This invention relates to a door frame and gusset system, and more specifically relates to a door frame and gusset system for attaching a strike plate to the door frame to allow adjustment of the strike plate with respect to the door frame.
Traditionally, doors are hung on wooden door frames by inserting screws through strike plates and hinges into the wood of the wall surrounding the door. Newer, industrial constructions, however, typically use metal door frames. The door frames are often thin-walled and thus do not have a solid background material for receiving a screw for mounting the strike plate or the hinges for the door.
Typically, manufacturers use a gusset behind a door frame for receiving the screws that support the strike plate and the hinge of a door mounted to the door frame. The gusset usually comprises a small plate of metal which is thicker than the door frame and which has formed or machined in screw holes which match the pattern of screw holes on the strike plate or the hinges. The holes in the gusset are tapped to receive the screws holding the strike plate or the door hinge.
The door frame generally includes an indentation (called xe2x80x9cemboss indentationxe2x80x9d in the art) for receiving the strike plate or the hinge of the door. Holes are included in the emboss indentation which match the screw hole pattern on the strike plate or hinge and the gusset. Before the frame is attached to the wall, the gusset is generally attached or held in place against the back side of this emboss indentation by some form of tab. When the gusset is placed on the tabs, the holes in the gusset, the holes in the emboss indentation, and holes in the strike plate or hinge are all aligned. After the gusset is in place, the door frame is attached to the wall. The door frame then stands ready for the attachment of a door, which simply requires inserting a screw through the strike plate or hinge, through the hole in the emboss indentation of the door frame, and into the tapped holes of the gusset.
With the door frame and gusset systems of the prior art, problems sometimes arise when mounting strike plates to the door frame. Particularly, once the strike plate has been mounted on an emboss indentation of the door frame, the latch on the door may not align with the opening in the strike plate in the transverse direction. If the strike plate is mounted too close to the door stop on the door frame, the door latch will not engage the opening of the strike plate, and door will not latch. If, on the other hand, the strike plate is mounted too far away from the door stop on the door frame, the door will latch loosely and may rattle against the door stop. If the strike plate is too close to the door stop, an installer may have to resorted to grinding the opening in the strike plate in order to accommodate the mismatched strike plate and door latch. If the strike plate is too far away from the door stop, the installer may have to install weatherstripping or other cushioning material on the door stop to accommodate the excess space and to thus prevent the door from rattling.
The present invention solves the above problems by providing a door frame and gusset system that accommodates transverse adjustment of a strike plate mounted on the door frame. The door frame and gusset system includes an emboss indentation on the door frame and a gusset mounted on the back side of the emboss indentation. The emboss indentation has slots and tabs. The tabs protrude rearwardly of the door frame. The slots are elongated in the transverse direction of the door frame and are aligned in the longitudinal direction with the holes in the strike plate. The gusset has threaded holes aligned to match the holes in the strike plate. The gusset also has gusset slots which engage the rearward protruding tabs of the emboss indentation.
In order to mount the strike plate onto the door frame, the gusset is first attached to the back side of the emboss indentation by means of the tabs of the emboss indentation engaging the gusset slots. The tabs are then bent to loosely secure the gusset to the door frame. When the gusset is thus attached to the back side of the door frame, the threaded holes in the gusset are in alignment with the slots in the emboss indentation in the longitudinally direction. The gusset slots, in engagement with the bent tabs, allows the gusset to slide transversely with respect to the emboss indentation, but not move longitudinally. Once the gusset is thus attached to the back side of the door frame by means of the bent tabs, the door frame is mounted to the wall which defines the door opening.
When the strike plate is subsequently mounted to the door frame, the holes in the strike plate aligned longitudinally with the slots in the emboss indentation and with the threaded holes in the gusset. With the holes in the strike plate aligned with the threaded holes in the gusset, screws are inserting to hold the strike plate to the door frame by means of the gusset. Because the slots in the emboss indentation extend transversely, both the gusset and strike plate can move transversely to thereby adjust the strike plate to ensure aligned engagement of the opening of the strike plate with the door latch. Once the proper alignment has been achieved, the screws are tightened, and the gussets holds the strike plate in the desired position.
The door frame and gusset system of the present invention also allows the use of a dust box with the door frame and strike plate. The dust box has elongated holes that aligned with the threaded holes in the gusset, the emboss indentation slots, and the holes in the strike plate. Consequently, the dust box is be positioned between the front side of the emboss indentation and the strike plate and held in place by the screws which hold the strike plate to the gusset. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the dust box and gusset may comprise an integral gusset and dust box assembly mounted on the back side of the door frame.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved door frame and gusset system for mounting a strike plate.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a door frame and gusset system for mounting a strike plate which accommodates transverse adjustment of the strike plate.
Further objects, features and advantages will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawing and the appended claims.